If you are leaving an abusive situation, take your children and, if possible, your pets. Put together the items listed below. Hide them someplace where you can get them quickly or leave them with a friend. If you are in immediate danger, though, leave without these items.
Identification for yourself and your children
- Birth certificates
- Social Security cards (or numbers written on paper if you can’t find the cards)
- Driver’s license
- Photo identification or passports
- Welfare benefits card
- Green card
Important papers
- Marriage certificate
- Divorce papers
- Custody orders
- Legal protection or restraining orders
- Health insurance papers and medical cards
- Medical records for all family members
- Children’s school records
- Investment papers/records and account numbers
- Work permits
- Immigration papers
- Rental agreement/lease or house deed
- Car title, registration, and insurance information
- Records of police reports you have filed or other evidence of abuse
Money and other ways to get by
- Cash
- Credit cards
- ATM card
- Checkbook and bankbook (with deposit slips)
- Jewelry or small objects you can sell
Keys
- House
- Car
- Safety deposit box or Post Office box
Ways to communicate
- Phone calling card*
- Cell phone*
- Address book
*It is best not to use a card or phone that you shared with an abuser because he or she may be able to use them to find you.
Medications
- At least one month’s supply for all medicines you and your children are taking
- A copy of any prescriptions
Things to help you cope
- Pictures
- Keepsakes
- Children’s small toys or books
Help Hotlines
Call the hotlines below for help if you have been hurt by someone you know or have been attacked by a stranger. You will not have to pay for the call, and you can ask to have your information kept confidential.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline
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Call 800-799-SAFE (7233) or 800-787-3224 (TTY).
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Staff are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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More than 170 languages are available.
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You will hear a recording and may have to wait for a short time.
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Hotline staff offer safety planning and crisis help. They can connect you to shelters and services in your area.
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Staff can send out written information on topics such as domestic violence, sexual assault, and the legal system.
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You can get help through e-mail on the hotline's contact page.
The National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline
The National Sexual Assault Hotline
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Source: Content provided and maintained by the US Health and Human Services